Welcome from the Vice President for Research

CWRU researchers are among the most distinguished in the world. We have 16 Nobel Laureates among current and former faculty and alumni, 4 members of the National Academies of Sciences, 7 members of the National Academy of Engineering, and 8 members of the Institute of Medicine. We also partner with artistic and cultural institutions on a broad range of projects that make important scholarly contributions in the humanities and social sciences.

Extraordinary research requires an outstanding infrastructure. Our Office of Research & Technology Management provides support to seek out grant funding, to facilitate industrial sponsorship, and to transfer university technologies to the marketplace. This is a place for people driven to make a difference, and our office exists to help them succeed.

Use the following link in order to view previous editions of Research Matters and Research News and UpdatesResearch Matters Archive .

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Research Newsletter

July 14, 2015

FOIA Requests

CWRU researchers who receive requests for information that invoke the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) should contact the Office of General Counsel. This should be done immediately so the extremely short deadlines under FOIA can be met. General Counsel can work with the faculty member to take steps to protect proprietary or confidential information from grants and protocols prior to the release of the requested information. Individual researchers should not release information without first consulting with the CWRU Office of General Counsel.

Computing devices are machines used to acquire, store, analyze, process, and publish data and other information electronically and include accessories (or peripherals) for printing, transmitting and receiving, or storing electronic information. Computing devices costing less than $5,000 are not considered equipment and therefore are treated as supplies and materials. Therefore, if a computing device is to be acquired for use in the performance of a federal award, the computing device may be charged to the federal award provided that:

it is essential (i.e., necessary) to performing the work under the award, and

the cost is allocable and reasonable.

Determining whether a computing device is essential – The Principal Investigator should consider (and document) whether performing the work under the award without the computing device would be difficult and inefficient. An important measure of this is determining (and documenting) whether the anticipated cost of performing the work without the computing device is greater than the combined cost of performing the work plus the cost of acquiring the computing device.

Determining whether a computing device is allocable to a federal award – If a computing device is essential to and will benefit a federal award, it is allocable to that award. The cost may be allocated to a federal award even when its usage is not solely dedicated to it. However, the Principal Investigator should first consider the amount of benefit of the computing device to the project, and the cost should be allocated proportionally with a reasonable cost allocation methodology.

Determining whether the cost of a computing device is reasonable – The Principal Investigator must make an informed, prudent decision, taking into consideration not only the cost, but the utility, quality and value of the device to the project.

If a computing device is not essential to a federal award, it is not allocable (in whole or in part) as a direct cost to that award. In such cases, the computing device is considered to be a “general use” item and must be treated as an indirect cost expense (just like paper, pens and other general use supplies), and charged to an appropriate institutional funding source.

Please remember that all expenses charged to federal awards must conform to the cost principles specified in the OMB Uniform Guidance. Please consult with the Office of Research Administration if you should have any questions about whether you may charge a specific expense to federal funds.

Department of Defense

The Department of Defense has announced the following new funding opportunity:

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has released a Request for Proposals for its 2016 Future of Nursing Scholars program, an annual program that aims to help develop the next generation of Ph.D.-prepared nurse leaders committed to long-term careers that advance science and discovery, strengthen nursing education, and bring transformational change to nursing and health care.

The three-year program aims to ensure the nation has a diverse and well-trained leadership and workforce committed to building a culture of health across the country. To that end, Future of Nursing Scholars are encouraged to form long-lasting relationships and networks with other scholars in the program, as well as with scholars and fellows in other RWJF programs -- situating them as a formidable group of healthcare leaders.

Schools with research-focused Ph.D. programs in nursing are eligible to apply. Selected schools will choose the Ph.D. students to be designated as Future of Nursing Scholars and must be committed to facilitating the scholar’s completion of the Ph.D. degree in three academic years. The scholars selected also must be committed to completing their Ph.D. program in three academic years. Selected scholars must be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States at the time of award.

For the 2016 cohort, the program will support up to seventy-five scholars. Each scholar will receive $75,000 to be used over the three years of the program. The award must be matched by $50,000, which can be in-kind, from the school.

The William T. Grant Foundation’s Distinguished Fellows Program creates bridges between the research, practice, and policy communities. The program is designed to increase the supply of, demand for, and use of high-quality research to improve the lives of youth.

During the Fellowship, researchers are immersed in a practice or policy setting, and policymakers and practitioners in a research organization. This immersion helps Fellows to experience firsthand the needs and challenges of their new settings. It is expected that these experiences will facilitate the production and use of relevant, high-quality research and create stronger connections across the research, policy, and practice communities.

Proposed Fellowships must fit the Foundation’s focus areas. Specifically, this includes youth ages 5 to 25 in the United States. The program funds research that increases our understanding of:

programs, policies, and practices that reduce inequality in youth outcomes; and

the use of research in policy and practice.

Between one and four Fellows are selected annually. Each will receive up to $175,000 (including direct and indiect costs) for the total duration of the Fellowship. Fellowships may range from six months to two years. The structure of the Fellowship is deliberately flexible. Fellowship activity must amount to a minimum of half of a year at the Fellowship site(s) over the duration of the award. Thus, the minimum duration is six months of full-time work, but a quarter-time Fellowship may spread over the course of two years.

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